Two
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: Set after the end of series 3, Abby and Connor are trying to survive whilst looking for a way home. my first story on here, feedback welcomed, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval or any of its characters, they belong to Impossible Pictures.**

**A/N: This is the first fanfic I've committed into black & white .... hope you enjoy reading it**

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Time is difficult to measure when you live for one day at a time, and do things as and when you need to, not just because a clock tells you it's time to do it. Abby and Connor were doing just that, every new day was a blessing – they had survived another night without being eaten, and they still had each other.

"Abby, we need more wood, some of that big chunky stuff you found before would be great" Connor called. Abby was already setting off on her daily mission to find food and water for the day ahead.

"No problem Conn" She called back. She looked back briefly, and with saddened eyes, noticed just how much Connor had changed over the last few days. He'd given up, resigned himself to never seeing home again. His whole body language screamed out defeat.

On her own for a few minutes, Abby tried to think. During her hunts, she had also continued looking for something that might help them get home. She'd found a trail of two lots of footprints, which she had assumed belonged to Danny and Helen, and the place where they both suddenly stopped. This place held the key to resolving this, it was the last place the anomaly existed, and the most likely place one would reappear. It was the only glimmer of hope she still had. She also knew Connor still had the device for opening anomalies in his backpack, if only there was some way of powering it. Even a geek like Connor couldn't conjure up power from nothing.

She gathered together some wood for Connor to build up the fire again, and pulled up some more of the plants they'd eaten yesterday, a tasty root that was something like a potato, before making her way back to the area she and Connor now called home. Seeing his dropped shoulders and dark eyes made Abby want to cry. She needed to give him something to motivate him again, a reason to keep trying. Dare she suggest he worked on the dead anomaly opener? She had to try something to shake him out of the downward spiral she could see him on.

She left it until they were eating. "I went back to the place where Danny and Helen's trail ended today" she said.

"Really?" he barely reacted.

"Got me thinking, that's where an anomaly could open again, one that could take us home, or find Danny at least"

"Do you think I hadn't thought of that already?!" Connor snapped back. "If it wasn't for my bad ankle, I'd be down there searching" his face twisted as he fought back tears. Abby was by his side in an instant, sliding her arm around his shoulder. He shrugged her off "I don't need your sympathy Abby"

"We're in this together Conn, you and I, we're a team, like we've always been." She tried to take his hand, but again he pulled away. "I thought that, if we could get that device working, just enough to re-open the anomaly at that place"

"Its useless Abby! The device is dead, it has no power, and in case you hadn't noticed, we're not close to an electricity source. Its time you accepted that we're stuck here, and there's nothing we can do about it" He staggered off, not looking back. He was angry, not with Abby, but with himself. The tears he had been fighting back now flowed freely as he tried to find somewhere where he could be alone. His whole body was weak, aching from his injuries and from lack of proper food and sleep, and before long, all he could do was slump to the ground by a tree. Suddenly he felt very alone. He'd pushed away the one person he really needed, shouted at her, and he wouldn't blame her if she went off on her own. It was all too much to take, and he curled himself into a ball and cried uncontrollably

Abby was also crying. She understood Connor totally, she knew he hated not being able to help as much as he wanted to, and that his anger hadn't been directed at her personally. She also knew he needed time to be alone, but in his weakened condition, how long did she leave him before she went after him? Going too soon would only upset him more, but she was worried about him. This wasn't like him, and she feared that his state of mind would cause him to do something stupid. After a short time, when her own tears had dried, she noticed a change in the weather on the horizon. A storm was coming by the looks of it, and that made up her mind. She had to find Connor and get him to come back to the cave they'd been using as shelter at night.

Following Connor's trail was easy, he had trodden down the long grass and vines that grew there and left a pathway that led Abby straight to him. He was sat, curled up in a foetal position with his arms covering his head. He was still sobbing, and he hadn't heard Abby approached. It hurt her to see him so helpless like this, and she knew that words would not soothe him now. Instead, she knelt by him and wrapped her arms around him. She waited for him to push her away again, but he didn't, so she pulled him closer to her. He relaxed into her body, wrapping his own arms around her and holding on as tight as he could.

"I'm sorry Abby" he whispered

"You don't need to apologise, Connor" Abby said, finally breaking off the intense hug they had both needed. Their eyes held each others gaze for several seconds, a look of mutual respect, maybe even love, broken only by a low rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Was that what I think it was?" Connor said, a worried expression on his face.

"There's a huge storm coming, I could see the clouds gathering on the horizon … that's why I came after you" Abby stood up, holding out her hand for Connor. He struggled to his feet and curled his fingers into Abby's, allowing her to lead the way.

---

By the time they got to the cave, the sky was almost pitch black and there was a strong wind. They'd barely been inside for a few minutes when the rain came, a downpour typical of a tropical storm, and then the thunder and lightening began crashing above their heads. Still holding tight to Abby's hand, Connor rested his head on her shoulder. It felt right, almost like being home in their flat. He closed his eyes, and remembered some of the evenings they'd spent together in much the same way, curled up on the sofa watching some old Sci-Fi movie together.

"You OK?" Abby whispered, stroking his hair.

"Mmm" Connor muttered. He was lost in his thoughts of happier times.

"What are you thinking about?"

Connor opened his eyes, meeting Abby's gaze. "Us" he said "Wishing we were in our flat, curled up on the sofa with Star Wars on the TV"

"Sounds good" Abby smiled at the thought. "Do we have popcorn?"

"Of course! Wouldn't be a film night without it!" Connor liked this game, it was the first time since they'd been in the tree and Abby had tried to take his mind off his pain that he'd felt a glimmer of happiness. Abby squeezed his hand, and he lifted his head to look at her. He adored her, she was the one person who made him feel like he belonged. She was his best friend, and more.

"Connor?" Abby's voice broke his thoughts.

"Are you scared Abby?" he said.

"Of a storm? No" she answered quickly, knowing that wasn't really what he'd asked

"I mean, are you scared that we'll never leave here?"

"Yes. I'm scared. But I refuse to give in and let the fear take over"

Connor dropped his head and stared at his feet. He'd let his fears take over and he had dipped so low he couldn't see beyond what seemed to be a hopeless situation. "How do you do it Abby? I'm so scared right now" he could feel his tears welling up again.

"I focus on other things, keep my mind active. And I look around me and realize that at least I'm not alone in this. That makes it less scary." She placed her hand on Connor's cheek, forcing him to look up and make eye contact with her. The look in his eyes told her just how scared he really was, and there was only one thing she could do to help him through this. As her lips met his, her heart began to race. She hesitated for a moment, half expecting him to push her away, but when she met no resistance, she continued to kiss him. Connor responded, pulling her closer to him and kissing her back.

Neither spoke when the kiss ended, they just stayed wrapped in each others arms and neither wanted to be the one to break the embrace. Leaning back against the wall, they simply snuggled into each other further, feeling happy, safe ….

---

When Connor woke, Abby was nowhere to be seen. He'd slept well, the best sleep he'd slept since they'd been here. The storm had passed, and the air smelt fresh and clean. He stuck his head out of the cave opening and saw Abby on her hands and knees trying to light a fire. She'd obviously been trying for a while and failing, the look of annoyance on her face amused Connor. He watched her for a few minutes before he decided to let her know he was there. "Morning Abby!" he called out

Her face softened when she saw Connor. It was a different Connor to the one she'd seen slumped over the fire the day before. That sparkle was back in his eyes, his familiar grin spread across his face. "Its about time you were awake! I need you to light this fire".

As she watched him limp towards her, her heart skipped a beat, why had she not admitted to herself how she really felt about him before? He'd said he loved her a long time ago, his heart laid out to her in a moment of panic when he thought he was going to lose her, but she had denied all her feelings for him until recently. Maybe it was because all her previous relationships had been disasters….

"You're doing it all wrong!" Connor said. He knelt by the pile of wood and began to strike the two stones together. Abby saw him wince in pain a couple of times and became concerned. He was trying to hide just how much pain he was really experiencing, he needed proper medical help, but unless they found a way to re-open the anomaly, there was no way he'd get it … and she didn't dare think of the consequences.

"I'm going to find us something to eat" she said. Connor mumbled something back that she didn't hear, as she headed off towards the forest. For some reason, she strayed from her usual route, maybe something in her felt a need for a change. The ground was very wet and slippery after yesterday's storm, and as she walked down a gentle slope, she noticed a lot of debris around, suggesting there had been some flooding. It hadn't occurred to her that they could have been in danger of being flooded out, and she decided that they should perhaps try to find another cave higher up in the hills to be safe.

Suddenly, she lost her footing and slipped over. Relieved no-one had seen her, she scrambled around trying to find something to grip onto to help her get back up. Something caught her eye, wedged between a couple of rocks. Surely it couldn't be what she thought it was? …. She freed it from its resting place and gasped … it was! It was an anomaly opener! It was smashed, and full of water, but there was no mistaking what it was. She ran, her heart pounding, towards the cave. When Connor came into view, she started shouting "Connor!! Connor!!"

He looked up, and his initial thought was that something was chasing her. He grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and set it on fire, ready to use in defense. It was only when she got closer that he realized she was smiling.

"Look! Conn .. it must be Helen's … it's been lying somewhere, hidden away, and the flood waters yesterday brought it out into the open" she thrust it into Connor's hand.

His face fell when he saw the mess it was in. It was lifeless. "If it worked before, the water's killed it" he held it upside down, and they both watched water pour out of it.

"Maybe there's _something _you can do with it?" Abby's voice sounded so hopeful.

"I don't know Abby. It's pretty battered."

Abby kissed him gently on the cheek "If anyone can do it, it's you Connor"

"I'll try. I can't promise anything." He disappeared into the cave with the broken gadget in his trembling hands. Abby felt it best to leave him alone, she didn't want to put any more pressure on him than she already had. Her head was in a spin, finally there was a glimmer of hope for them, but that glimmer relied on Connor being able to salvage something from a smashed, water logged device and another one with a completely dead battery. Back home, at full strength, with all his tools and electronics around him, there would be no doubt that he'd come up with some kind of solution. At least he now had something to focus on, something that might take his mind away from the pain he is was in.

Connor did not emerge for the rest of the day. Abby left him to it, he worked best alone on these kind of things. As darkness began to fall, she went inside – staying out in the open was not safe once night came. "I got you some fresh water" she said, handing him a flask she had filled from the nearby river. He took it from her, muttered a thank you, and went back to his thoughts. "How's it looking?", she rested her chin on his shoulder, looking over him to the two devices on the floor in front of him.

"I don't know" he said, shaking his head "I don't know where to start, I have ideas but …" Abby stroked his arm and gently kissed his neck.

"Its OK, Connor. It was a long shot anyway, and at least you tried."

"I'm sorry Abby. I don't know what to do" In the dim light, Abby could see his face crumpling again. "I'm a failure"

"Stop that! You're anything but a failure!" He stood up and began to make his way to the cave opening "Connor!, what are you doing?"

He was trying to get out, be alone with his thoughts of failure, but a sudden nausea swept over him and he felt faint. The last thing he remembered was Abby screaming "Connor!!" and falling into her arms before he passed out.

---

Abby was scared. Since Connor had lost consciousness, she felt totally alone. He was barely breathing and his skin was cold and clammy. She didn't dare leave him for longer than a few minutes at a time, but had to in order to keep herself fit and healthy. If she also fell ill, then there would be no hope at all. It was important she ate, and had water, and she would occasionally wet Connor's lips and open his mouth to drip some water in, it was all she could think of to keep him from dehydrating. Two nights had passed, and there was no sign of Connor waking up.

The two anomaly openers were still on the ground where Connor had left them. She'd stared at them so many times, looking for an answer … but technology was not her strength, and she had no idea how to even start to repair them. In her frustration, she kicked at one of them, the smashed one she had found after the flood. Was it her imagination, or did a light come on? She picked it up and shook it, yes … there it was again! It had power!

"Connor! Connor! Wake up, please!" She needed Connor more than anything right now, but he did not stir. She stared at the flickering light on the device in her hands. How much time did she have? It wasn't like her to be so indecisive, but she usually had someone else to bounce an idea off. "Connor?" she said, fighting back tears. He just lay there, not responding.

She began pacing around the cave, talking to herself, going through the options. Would the device remember the last location it had been set to? Did it matter where she pointed it? She wished she'd paid more attention when Connor and Sarah were working things out. There was only one thing she could do, and that was to just point it and hit the switch, and hope for the best. Maybe it would take them to where Danny was, then at least there would be another person to help get them home. Or maybe it would get them home. Or maybe they'd just end up in yet another time period and even more lost. It was a chance she had to take, their only chance.

Half carrying, half dragging Connor, she made her way to the place where Danny and Helen had disappeared. There was no way she was leaving Connor behind, wherever this new anomaly took her, he was coming with her. With a deep breath, she pointed the opener into the air and flicked the switch. "Please work!" she whispered. Within seconds, a familiar glow filled the air, and she was standing by an anomaly. With a deep breath, Abby stepped forward "This is it Connor, come on mate" and they both disappeared into the glowing ball.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Primeval and it's characters don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a while**

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For a moment, Abby couldn't bare to open her eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to see where they'd ended up. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her face, and as she opened her eyes, she had to put her hand up to shade her eyes from the glare. As her eyes grew accustomed to the light, she tried to work out where … when … they had ended up. The scenery around her was familiar in the sense that she had seen terrain like this in so many books, but it could be anywhere and it could have been any one of a million different years.

"Well, one thing's certain Connor" Abby said, allowing him to slump to the ground. "We're not in London". She dragged him over to large rock, which was shaded by another rock over-hanging, and tried to make him comfortable. She could then allow herself to explore a little. "I'll be back Connor, won't be long!" she whispered, kissing him gently on the cheek.

She started to climb up through the piled rocks, hoping that a higher viewpoint would make things clearer. It was harder work than she had thought, she was tired and hungry, but a glance down at Connor motionless below her spurred her onwards. By the time she had reached the top, hours later, she was bruised, sore and exhausted. Pausing for just a moment to get her breath, she shaded her eyes again and scanned slowly around. Her view gave her no clues as to where she was, the whole terrain looked the same – rocks, mountains, desert, shrubbery … and in the distance, a river running through a valley. That looked the most habitable, she could see greenery, and water was always a welcome sight. Squinting to get a better look, she could have sworn she saw movement there too… life!

She scrambled down much quicker than she had gone up. The river was probably a couple of hours walk away, less if she ran … but with Connor, it would be near impossible. A tough decision had to be made. Kneeling beside Connor, she cradled his head in her hands. "I'm sorry… I have to leave you… but I'm coming back for you. I just need to assess things, work out a plan. Then I'll come and get you. That's a promise." Her heart was breaking, this was so hard. He was depending on her to look after him, if anything happened to him whilst she was gone, she'd never forgive herself. She hugged him tight for one last time, before setting off to find the river … alone.

At first, all she could do was sob as she stumbled her way though the rocky landscape. After a while she chastised herself "Come on Abigail! Pull yourself together! Crying is not going to help!" It worked, and she was soon making good progress. It was getting cooler, and she hoped that meant she was getting closer to the water. The scenery around her was also changing, it was greener here, less rocky. Something moved in front of her, a lizard. It moved too fast for her to identify, and it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. She hoped she'd see more, lizards were something she did know about, and she should be able to get an idea of the period she was in.

Abby soon realized that the reason it was starting to get cooler was that night was beginning to approach. She decided that she did not want to be trying to make her way through the forest in the dark, especially when she had no idea what sort of creatures she could come across. She began to climb a tree, figuring it would be the safest place. She tried to make herself comfortable in order to try and get a little sleep, but her head was so full it was impossible. The last time she had been up a tree, Connor had been with her. They'd waited two nights for Danny to come back before deciding they needed to set up a proper shelter. Thoughts of Connor made her both happy and scared. Was he still safe? What if he'd woken and realized she wasn't there? He'd think she'd abandoned him. She longed for the comfort of his arms again, to see his lopsided smile, his flushed cheeks when he talked to her. Curling herself into a ball, hugging herself tightly, she allowed some silent tears to fall as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

---

Connor opened his eyes. It was dark and he was surrounded by rock. He tried to sit up, but his body hurt too much. This wasn't the cave he and Abby had been sheltering in before, had Abby moved on? He vaguely recalled her mentioning flooding, and assumed she'd taken him to higher ground. Where was she? He tried to call her name, but no sound would come out. He needed to find her, why wasn't she here? It was night time, and he knew she wouldn't have gone off into the night … something must have happened to her! He was terrified, she could be lying somewhere, hurt, alone, or even worse, dead. He managed to roll himself onto his stomach and somehow dragged himself out into the open. He didn't recognize the surroundings at all, but there was something he did recognize … a glow … an anomaly! It gave him a little comfort, somehow Abby had opened it and gone through. Maybe she was on the other side, safe. But why had she left him?

He felt compelled to try and get through it, it was the only familiar thing he had to cling to. His entire body hurt and he struggled to breathe, but he dragged himself onwards. Then, nausea swept through him again. He vomited as his stomach violently twisted inside. He tried not to be scared by the fact there was blood there too. Then his head began to spin, and everything went black.

---

Abby was woken by the sun streaming through the thick covering of leaves above her. For a second, she thought she was back in the Cretaceous and turned to look for Connor. Then she remembered. She pulled some leaves off a nearby branch and dripped the small amount of moisture gathered on them to try and quench her raging thirst. Her stomach growled in hunger, but she had to ignore that for a while. She had to press on and find the river and the signs of life she had seen from the rocks. If life existed, then there must be food there. She could get some together, go back to Connor, and then work out what to do next. Spurred on by that thought, she scrambled down from her tree and set off again.

After what felt like an eternity, the forest seemed to be less dense and then Abby heard a very welcome sound .. rushing water. Ahead of her was a waterfall, and a fast flowing stream. It was like a little oasis, green, familiar, comforting almost. She drank her fill, and then filled both the flasks she was carrying in her backpack. She then stripped off all her clothes, and bathed in the cooling, refreshing water.

Feeling refreshed, Abby set off again. She had certainly misjudged the distance when she had seen the river before, but now she felt she was getting closer. Following the stream, it soon widened and then she saw something that made her heart leap. Ahead of her was a lake, and at the side of the lake was a group of animals, some drinking, some bathing. She didn't recognize them, but they appeared to be some kind of elephant or rhino .. a mammal not reptilian in origin, which meant only one thing. If mammals existed, then surely there would be human life too, of some kind anyway. Maybe this was even site 333, which made the most sense. It was where Helen was heading, to try and kill the first humans, so would be the site last programmed into her anomaly opener. Maybe even Danny was here too.

As she got closer to the creatures, she could see others too: Human like creatures, in a group, and amongst the group, another human like figure. It was more upright than the others and she could have sworn she could make out jeans and a shirt …. It had to be Danny! It had to be …. She ran, and ran, and as she got closer she could see it was him. She never thought she'd be so happy to see someone! "Danny!" she yelled. He turned and looked up, and then he began to run towards her

His arms and body enveloped her tiny frame, and she sobbed hard into his chest "Its OK Abby, you're safe now" he said.

"Danny! I can't believe I found you" she said

"Where's Connor?"

"I had to leave him back up there" She said, pointing in the general direction she had come from. "He's in a bad way Danny. I'm scared for him. He was unconscious when I left him"

"Then we need to get back to him. Get some food and water for him, and work out how we get him home" Danny took control straight away. Abby was relieved to let someone else do the thinking. They crammed various fruits into Abby's backpack and transferred various items into Danny's. "Show me which way you came. Let's go and find Connor"

Danny moved much quicker than she had done, he seemed very confident in this terrain, and she had to almost run to keep up with him. They made good progress, and Abby hoped they'd make it back to the spot where she'd left Connor before night fall again. "How did you get here? The anomaly closed" Danny said

"I found Helen's anomaly opener, it was a bit smashed up, but it worked. Its still working, but there's no way of controlling it. If the other one was working, we could work out how to use it to get home"

"Let's get back to Connor, and then we can try and work something out" Danny said. "I think we must be close .. look" Ahead of them was that familiar glow from the anomaly. Within minutes, they were at the rock where Connor was.

Abby's heart sank, he was still there, thank god, but he'd moved, which meant he had woken up, alone, and must have been scared. She ran to his side, rolling him onto his back again and cradling his head in her lap. She kissed his face and stroked his hair "I told you I'd be back Conn, I'm here, and we're going to be safe at home very soon"

"This is more serious than we thought Abby. He's vomited blood. Where are those two anomaly openers, let's have a look" Danny said.

Abby passed both to him. "Its hopeless. Connor looked at both of them for hours. One is intact but has no power, one has power but its so smashed up there's no way of telling where it would take us"

"If we could swap the power units over, we would have one fully working device" Danny said

"I'm sure Connor thought of that one already. But how do we get into them to do that?"

Danny rummaged around in his backpack "When I was in the Scouts, my dad gave me something that I always carry around with me" he pulled out a pocket knife, one of those that had every tool you could imagine folded into it. He grinned. "Not sure there's a screwdriver on here, but there must be something I can use to open them up"

Abby watched as Danny worked. He soon had both of the devices opened up. "Would you say this was the battery?" he asked, holding up a small flat object

"Umm" Abby said. Connor would know, she thought. "Possibly. It looks a bit like a mobile phone battery. Worth a try I suppose"

Danny swapped them over, then fastened the intact device back together. "We have power!" Abby hugged him and kissed his cheek " Steady now, you'll get him all jealous" nodding over to Connor. "Now what?"

Abby turned the device over and over in her hands "Each anomaly location is numbered, we're in 333, right?"

"Yes. So how do we know what number to use to get back home?"

"Well, surely home would be the start … 000 would make sense?"

"True, but how do you put the numbers in? Sarah and Connor used the computer to program that one, stored the map onto it. There's no keypad on it"

There was one button the back. "Could this be a reset button do you think? Something that would set the device back to zero?" Abby said"

"Worth a try" Danny said. He watched Abby press the button and then hesitantly point the opened into the air. She pressed the main switch, and a second, brightly glowing anomaly opened in front of them.

Danny scooped up the lifeless body of Connor into his arms. "After you Abby" he said. As she stepped forward to enter the anomaly, he draped Connor around her shoulders and kissed her cheek "Good luck both of you"

"You're not coming?" Abby said. She actually wasn't that surprised.

"No. I'm happy here. What have I got back home that I haven't got here?. You two, you have each other, wherever you end up. As long as you stay together, you'll be fine."

"I can't change your mind? Come with us, Danny"

"No. It's OK. It's what I want. Now go … before it closes again" he practically pushed her, urging her to go.

Abby took a deep breath, as yet again, her and Connor went through an anomaly, not knowing where they would end up


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Primeval and it's characters don't belong to me (sadly) No copyright intended, I'm just having fun borrowing the characters for a while**

**A/N A big thank you to those sticking with this. Hope you aren't disappointed...**

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Abby had held her breath as she stepped through the anomaly. She needed to see something familiar on the other side, if not home, then at least human life with some kind of medical facilities. Connor was barely clinging on to life now, she could barely see his chest rise and fall, and he just felt cold to the touch. As her eyes came back into focus, she realised it was night time in this new place. Looking around, she also realised very quickly that this was not home, and yet again she had no idea where or when they had ended up. The surroundings were that of a forest, that was the only thing she could be certain of. She slumped to the ground, sobbing. She couldn't think of anything else to do. She allowed Connor's head to rest on her lap, stroking his hair as she gently rocked.

"Now what do we do?" she called out, hoping someone would answer. The silence was deafening. It was also considerably colder here, and she shivered, her thin jacket offering very little in the way of warmth. She pulled herself together, and began to look around for some kind of shelter. Getting warm needed to be a priority, especially for Connor – getting hyperthermia on top of whatever else was wrong with him would probably kill him. She propped him against the trunk of a nearby tree, kissed him gently on the forehead, promising him she'd be back soon, and then tried to climb up onto a low branch to get a better view. However, she was weaker than she'd realised, and she couldn't pull herself up.

Then she heard a noise, it sounded like footsteps. She could see Connor still slumped by the tree so it wasn't him. Who, or what, was behind her? The next thing she saw and heard both terrified her and delighted her – she found herself staring along the barrel of a shotgun and into the eyes of an elderly gent, some kind of gamekeeper "Want to tell me what you're doing out here at this time of night Missy?"

"I'm ssss..sss… ssorry … my friend and I, we got lost …. He fell out of a tree …. He's badly hurt, I need to get him to a hospital" the gun made her very uneasy, but at least now she knew she was in the present day.

The man lowered his gun, but kept his finger on the trigger "You sure you're not after stealing my pheasants?"

"Yes, we were just out walking and it got dark… please, you have to help my friend…." Abby pleaded. The man went over to Connor, picked him up and slung him over his shoulder like a sack.

"Follow me. You can call an ambulance from my house" he said, already stomping away at a pace. Abby had to run to keep up. After several minutes, the house came into sight, it was wonderful! Abby followed the man inside. He set Connor down on the sofa "the phone's just there" he pointed.

Abby went to dial 999 "Where are we? What's the address for the ambulance to come to?"

"Just tell them to come to the Gamekeeper's lodge at the edge of the Forest of Dean reserve, they'll know where to come" he replied. "I'll get a blanket for your friend"

The Forest of Dean! Abby grinned. Of course, it made perfect sense. She'd assumed that the "home" setting on the devices would be London, but the Forest of Dean was where it had all started, where Helen first disappeared, where she had first met Cutter, Stephen and Connor. After calling the ambulance, Abby also needed to make another call. "is it OK if I call a friend to let her know where we are?" she asked. The man grunted, which Abby assumed to be a yes. The only number she could remember was the phone in the office where Connor worked in the ARC, she was always calling it. Maybe the others would be in the ARC and hear it ring, or perhaps she could leave a message on it and hope someone would pick it up tomorrow. She had to try. It rang several times, and just as she was about to give up, she heard a familiar voice

"Hello?"

"Jenny?? Is that you?" Abby couldn't believe it!

"Who is this? This is a government…."

"Jenny, it's Abby"

"Abby?! Oh my god! Where are you? Are you OK? We've been going out of our minds" Abby could hear another voice in the background, Sarah's she thought.

"We're in the Forest of Dean, well, Connor and I are in the Forest of Dean. He's badly hurt, there's an ambulance on its way, I need you to meet us at the hospital there. I might need you to help answer some awkward questions" she could hear the ambulance siren in the distance and knew she would have to end the call soon.

"Did you come through an anomaly? Becker and his men are on their way to the Forest of Dean now, we had an alert of an anomaly opening there a few minutes ago. It's the first one since you all disappeared"

"Yes, that was us… Jenny, I really need a friendly face right now" Abby tried not to cry, but failed.

"Sarah and I are on the way, Abby. Stay strong"

--

Almost an hour later, Jenny and Sarah arrived at the hospital. Abby was pacing up and down the corridor, but as soon as she saw them, she ran over to them and hugged Jenny tightly. "It's OK, Abby. We're here now" Jenny said, stroking her hair. "Sit down and tell us what's been going on"

Abby told them how Connor had fallen from the tree, how Danny had gone after Helen and disappeared through an anomaly, how she and Connor had struggled for several days before he fell unconscious, she told them about Danny helping her to fix the anomaly opener but then refused to come back with them. The two women listened, concerned, and relieved to have at least some of the team back.

"How is Connor?" Sarah asked

"I don't know, the doctors whisked him away as soon as we arrived, and no-one will tell me anything" Abby said

Jenny immediately got to her feet and went in search of someone who could find out how Connor was. Sarah hugged Abby "You've no idea how great it is to see you again" she said.

"And you too, I didn't think we would ever see home again. How come Jenny was with you?"

"When you guys failed to come back through, Becker and I set up camp at the site, someone was guarding it 24 hours a day in the hope you would come back. We were desperate, neither of us really knew much about the anomalies, so I contacted Jenny. When she found out the three of you were missing, she came straight over"

Jenny appeared with a doctor in tow. "You are the young lady that came in with Mr Temple?" he said.

Abby nodded "Yes, how is he? Can I see him?"

"Your friend is in a bad way, Miss …."

"Maitland, Abby Maitland"

"He has some internal injuries, some of which have been bleeding. His blood pressure is dangerously low, which is the reason for his unconscious state, and he is also severely dehydrated. He's being prepared for surgery now to try and deal with some of the internal bleeding, and it's likely he'll be needing a blood transfusion as well" the doctor spoke calmly and in a matter-of- fact way, but this did not make Abby and the others any less worried.

Jenny asked the question they were all thinking "What are his chances Doctor?"

"His condition is very serious. If he'd been brought in sooner…… he's been unconscious for several days, it's possible he may have suffered a lack of oxygen in that time … we won't know until after he's been in surgery. I'm sorry I can't tell you more than that at the moment. If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for surgery"

As the doctor walked away, Abby felt dizzy and was caught by Sarah before she fell to the ground

--

Abby blinked as she opened her eyes. She was in a bed in a very white room. "Hey sleepy head, nice of you to join us again" Sarah said

"What happened? How long have I…"

"You've been asleep for almost 36 hours. The doctor said you were just completely exhausted and it was best to let you sleep as long as you needed to"

Abby sat up "Connor! … how is he? I need to see him …."

"He's … being looked after. Jenny is with him. We felt he needed a familiar face around when he woke up"

"I should be with him, how is he?" Abby was trying to get out of bed but Sarah was stopping her

"You're not going anywhere until the Doctor says it's OK. Connor is making a slow recovery, he was in a really bad way. He was in surgery for seven hours and …" Sarah stopped

"Sarah?" Abby sensed there was something else

"He went into cardiac arrest in theatre, they almost lost him" Sarah could barely look Abby in the eyes, she knew that piece of news would devastate her.

"I have to see him, Sarah" Abby's face crumpled as she tried not to cry. Sarah went to find a doctor who would check Abby was fit enough to leave her bed.

Several minutes later, Abby was stood by the door to Connor's room. Jenny came out and hugged her. "You should be prepared for what you're going to see in there, it's not easy to see someone you care about in this way"

"OK" Abby took a deep breath. "Come in with me and explain it"

Jenny led her in. Abby hadn't expected what she saw. Connor looked so tiny and helpless, wired up to a number of machines that were all beeping or making some kind of noise. "You have to remember that most of this equipment is monitoring his health, he's not on life support. He's holding his own underneath all that" Jenny said. "They're monitoring his heart, his blood pressure, his breathing … the slightest change in any of those and the doctors will know" Abby nodded. It all looked very scary, and there was Connor, lying there, pale, bruised and lifeless. "Those two drips over there are pumping antibiotics and painkillers into him, and also fluids"

Abby nodded, trying to take it all in. She sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Connor's cheek. He had so many wires, probes and tubes attached to him, she was almost scared to touch him. "Hey, Conn, it's me. Bet you thought you'd got rid of me eh?" she said, her voice trembling.

"I'll leave you alone for a while." Jenny said. "Just don't forget, his body may be weak and appears lifeless, but Connor is still there inside" Jenny put a reassuring hand on Abby's shoulder. "I'm going down to the anomaly site"

"It's still open?" Abby said

"Becker and his men have been guarding it. Becker wants to go through and try and find Danny. I'm trying to decide if I should let him"

"Danny seemed pretty certain he wanted to stay. He would have followed us through by now if he'd changed his mind"

"I know. But I think Becker needs to be certain in his own mind, otherwise he feels he's just abandoning Danny" Jenny left, leaving Abby alone with Connor.

Abby was scared. Despite all the reassurances she'd had, she still couldn't get the words "cardiac arrest" out of her head. They'd almost lost him, his heart had actually stopped, that was as serious as it could get. She held his hand and lay on the bed, resting her head on his shoulder. She finally let out the tears she had been holding back, desperately wanting to feel Connor's comforting arms around her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval, and no copyright intended**

**A/N: I didn't intend to take the story in this direction, but I had a flash of inspiration and just had to explore it and get it down. Chapter is a little shorter than previous, although I might flesh it out a bit later .... get the tissues out!**

* * *

It was Jenny that woke Abby the following morning. It hadn't surprised her in the slightest to find Abby curled up next to Connor, it looked perfectly natural, and she felt it was almost a shame to disturb her. But she had to, she needed to get Abby to take a break for a few hours, for her own sanity.

Abby stretched, and winced a little, she had cramp from being laid in an awkward position all night. "Is it morning already?"

"It is. The nurse asked me to wake you, she needs to come and do some checks on Connor and give him a wash" Jenny said

"Oh, right, sure." Abby stood up "Is there somewhere I can get a decent cup of coffee around here?"

"I think we can find somewhere" Jenny said. "A change of scene will do you good"

They drove for a few minutes to a small roadside Café. The coffee wasn't great, but it was hot and full of caffeine, just what Abby needed. She sipped it slowly, deep in thought. Jenny decided now was the time to approach a sensitive subject

"What do you know about Connor's family?"

Abby thought for a moment. "Absolutely nothing" It was true, in all the time she'd known Connor, she couldn't recall him ever mentioning family, and she certainly didn't recall him getting any phonecalls from family. She'd never pushed for information, she didn't like to talk about her own family and figured Connor was the same.

"Hmm, I was hoping you would know something. I went back to the ARC last night and went through his personal file. I thought we should try and contact someone, a relative … if he doesn't get better …..." Jenny stopped, not really wanting to think of what was coming next. "He hasn't listed a next of kin, and his emergency contact is you"

Abby was a little surprised at that. He wanted her to be the one that would be the first to be told if something happened to him? "I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about his family"

"We should at least make an effort to find an address or a phone number. Lester told me all Connor's things are back at your flat now, perhaps we should have a look through, see if we can find an address book or a diary or something" Jenny hoped Abby would agree, then at least whilst Abby was there she could persuade her to get some clothing and toiletries together.

"I don't know, Jenny. It doesn't seem right, going through his personal stuff"

"It could be important, Abby. Imagine how his mother would feel if she found out her son had …. before she'd had chance to say goodbye" Jenny took Abby's hand. "She has a right to know about him"

Reluctantly, Abby agreed to go back to the flat with Jenny.

--

Connor's belongings were all stacked together in a corner, his entire life stored in 5 large cardboard boxes. At least everything was together and they wouldn't have to go searching through drawers and cupboards. Abby had started with his mobile phone, but there was no-one on there she didn't know herself. She noted, with sadness, that Cutter was still stored there, Connor hadn't had the heart to delete him from his contacts. Jenny had tried to find something that resembled an address book or notebook, but there wasn't anything.

"Laptop!" Jenny said suddenly

"It'll be password protected, you know what he's like" Abby said. But Jenny tried anyway, sure enough, you needed a password to get past the first screen.

After half an hour, Abby came across on old biscuit tin. She rattled it, and thinking it contained collector cards or something, she almost dismissed it, but something made her peer inside. She was wrong. It contained photographs and documents. "Think I've got something" she said.

Jenny saw the contents. "That looks like it could be pretty personal stuff. You should look on your own. I'll make us a drink" She got up and disappeared to the kitchen, leaving Abby stretched out on the floor with the opened tin in front of her.

This tin contained tiny scraps of Connor's life, the photographs were of him as a child, that smile and mop of dark hair unmistakeable. Abby couldn't help but smile back as she looked through them. There was a man and a woman who appeared in several photos, Abby guessed they were his parents – Connor was the spitting image of his father. It also seemed Connor was an only child. It made Abby sad, despite her own unhappy childhood, she at least had a brother who got her through the most difficult times. Connor would have had no-one. She got about half way through the pile when a new face began to appear, a pretty girl with long dark hair. It was obvious from the photos that she was Connor's girlfriend. Abby felt a little stab of jealousy as she looked at the images of a happy, young smiling couple, obviously smitten with each other.

"Anything?" Jenny asked, as she brought Abby a mug of coffee.

"Not really, just photographs at the moment" Abby said, glad to have been interrupted so she could pull herself back together again.

"Should I put together an overnight bag for you?" Jenny asked, keen to be useful but not wanting to pry into Connor's personal things.

"Thanks, yes, that would be good" Abby said, as Jenny disappeared into the bathroom. Abby flipped through a few more photos until she reached one that made her gasp out. It was a wedding, Connor's wedding. He looked very young, barely 18, and the girl with the long dark hair even younger, but they looked very happy. She'd never seen Connor that happy before. Folded between some of the photos, Abby found the marriage certificate. "Alice Elizabeth Green" Abby read "so that's your name. Where are you now Alice?" The date of the wedding was just over two years before she had met Connor. She was suddenly seeing him in a totally new light, what had happened in that two years?

Her question was to be answered soon enough. After the wedding photos, there was another bunch of papers. Abby unfolded them, half expecting them to be divorce papers, but she was wrong, and what she saw made her heart rip into pieces. There were three sets of death certificates, all dated for the same date around 5 weeks after the wedding. David, Anna and Alice Temple, all died the same day. Abby began to weep, poor Connor! He had lost his parents and his wife at the same time. She wiped her eyes as she began to unfold the last piece of paper in the tin, a newspaper clipping. It told the story of a "local family" who had been run off the road by a lorry on the wrong side of the road. The driver, David Temple, had been killed instantly when their car hit a tree. Anna and Alice died hours later in hospital. Connor had not been in the car.

It all made sense now. The ring Connor wore around his neck, she'd always assumed it had been his mother's, but it was his wife's, and he wasn't the inexperienced, shy geek everyone thought he was – he was simply trying to get on with his life after a terrible tragedy, wanting to be loved again but probably scared to get too close to anyone in case he lost them too.

Fighting back tears, Abby carefully folded all the papers and placed everything back into the tin, closing the lid tight. She really was the only person Connor had, the only one he had let in. "What am I doing here? I should be with him!" she said. She went to find Jenny.

"Did you find anything?" Jenny said cheerily, but her face fell when she saw Abby's tear stained face "Everything OK?"

Abby nodded "I just want to get back to Connor, that's all"

Jenny put a comforting hand on Abby's shoulder. "Of course. Just have a check in the bag to make sure I've got everything, and you might want to go and get some underwear" She didn't press Abby any further, sensing that she didn't want to talk.

"Thanks" Abby said, her voice barely a whisper. All she could think of was the hell Connor must have gone through over the last few years, and the hard time she'd given him. She decided that, when Connor was recovered, she'd push aside her own reservations and fears about relationships – if Connor could move on after his personal tragedy, then she could too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Primeval and the characters belong to Impossible Pictures and ITV, not me :( No Copyright intended**

**A/N: ... well, this is it, finally finished my first story. I've really struggled to bring the story to a conclusion and I'm not sure I'm 100 % happy with it still. Thanks to those who have added this to their alerts and favourites, and for the reviews and comments - its meant a lot :)**

* * *

Over the next few days, the team slipped into a routine. They made sure there was someone with Connor at all times, Abby insisting she should be there most of the time. Sarah and Jenny tried to make Abby go to the hotel they were staying at to get some sleep and food, but she would not leave for longer than a couple of hours. Jenny had finally allowed Becker and a couple of the other soldiers to go through the anomaly. When they returned, Becker asked Sarah to lock it. He had seen Danny, and now conceded that he wasn't coming back.

The doctors said Connor was getting better, that his vital signs were approaching normal levels and it would just be a matter of time before he woke up. Abby kept looking for a tiny glimmer, a small reaction from him, but nothing came. She slept with him every night, the nurses turning a blind eye to the fact she wasn't using the camp bed they had supplied in the room. She was always wary of the wires and tubes attached to him, afraid to get as close to him as she really wanted to. Having to just content herself with holding his hand and resting her head on his shoulder each night, this became Abby's nightly routine, one she vowed to continue until he woke up – however long it took.

During those long nights, Abby found herself thinking, a lot. What she now knew about Connor had her head spinning. She'd been angry, and hurt, why hadn't he shared something as important as this with her? But then, as she thought more about it, it didn't seem to matter. What had happened to Connor in his past had made him the Connor that she loved now, and he had his reasons for not telling anyone. She thought about the secrets in her own past, and realised she and Connor were probably the same. They just wanted to get on with their lives, in spite of what had happened to them. She was also quickly realising that she wanted Connor to be a major part of her life, and as soon as he well enough, she would forget about the "not crossing a line" and "no weird stuff" worries and concentrate on what mattered.

One morning, when one of the nurses came in to give Connor his daily wash, she had said "do you want to go and get a drink whilst I bathe your boyfriend?" She didn't correct her, it almost seemed OK to call him that. Abby took her usual stroll outside the hospital, enjoying the fresh air. She had a bar of chocolate and the usual watery coffee from the vending machine in the reception area, and sat on a bench in the gardens. Abby had been alone most of her life, in and out of foster homes, looking out for her brother, learning the hard way how to take care of herself, but she had never felt as alone as she did right now.

Refreshed, Abby returned to the room. She'd got a newspaper from the hospital shop, and began reading out to Connor, something she did daily. She had felt it important he kept up to date with what was happening in the world, though why she didn't know. As she read, she heard a sigh. Putting the paper down, she could see Connor's eyelids twitching. "Connor?" she stroked his forehead, and then found herself looking straight into those familiar big brown eyes. "You're awake!" Her heart leapt, he was OK!

He tried to speak, but his throat was dry. Suddenly he panicked, where was he? What were all these wires? He began pulling at them, and the monitors went crazy, setting off numerous alarms. Abby tried to calm him. "Connor, it's OK … you're in the hospital, do you remember? Connor.."

Two nurses came rushing in, followed by a doctor. Abby stepped back, allowing them to take control. It took both nurses to pin him down, his arms flailing around wildly, whilst the doctor injected something into him. Connor seemed to calm down then, and the nurses began to clean up the little wounds left from where he had pulled out his wires.

The doctor led Abby out of the room. Her heart was pounding, she was frightened "What just happened there? Is he OK?" Abby said

"We get that reaction sometimes. Imagine how scared you would be, waking up and finding all that attached to you. It's a combination of fear, and the drugs he's on, and a rush of that good old basic survival instinct that causes some patients to react like that when they first wake up" The doctor placed a reassuring hand on Abby's shoulder. "I gave him a mild sedative, he'll just feel very tired now. You can talk to him, but don't alarm him with details of his condition yet, just see what he remembers for himself" Abby nodded, and followed the doctor back into Connor's room

Connor had been disconnected from everything apart from the drip, and was propped up with pillows. "Mr Temple, it's good to have you back with us" The doctor said "You gave us all a bit of a scare for a while"

Abby was grinning from ear to ear, it was so good to see him awake after so long. Connor looked over at them both a little sheepishly "Sorry" he croaked.

"No apologies needed Mr Temple, just concentrate on getting well again so this young lady can finally go home and get some proper rest" The doctor scribbled something on the chart at the end of Connor's bed. "I'll come back in about an hour and see how you are"

Alone again, Abby sat by Connor's side on the bed. She squeezed his hand, as she had done every day since he had fallen unconscious, but today was different – he squeezed hers back, allowing his fingers to lock into hers. "Hey!" she whispered "It is so good to have you back"

"How did we…." Connor tried to say, but his throat hurt too much. Abby leaned forward and stroked his face, before kissing him gently on the lips.

"Questions later Conn, OK" she whispered. "All you need to know is you're home, and safe"

Connor's faced screwed up, and he gripped Abby's hand harder. "What's wrong? Are you in pain? Should I call a nurse?" Connor shook his head. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "Connor?"

He could barely get out the words "Abby, hold me" That was exactly what she had been longing to do, and she wrapped her arms around him. It was so much easier to do now that all those wires had been removed. She felt her own tears starting to flow as the warmth of his body touched hers. "Don't cry Abby" he whispered, his arms wrapping around her body, the protective arms she needed. It felt so good to be there at last. They were still laid like that when the doctor returned. He cleared his throat loudly, making Abby jump.

"I'm sorry, I just need to give Mr Temple a full assessment" the doctor said

Abby reluctantly unwrapped herself from Connor "I should call the others, let them know you're awake" she said "They've all been worried about you too"

--

Later that evening, Connor was finally alone. He'd had a steady stream of visitors all day and his head was spinning. Most of the ARC team had been, except Danny, and when he'd asked about him, they all seemed to want to change the subject. Connor guessed he was probably in the hospital too somewhere, and they didn't want to worry him. He'd been surprised, and delighted, to see Jenny Lewis. Was she back for good? He had so many questions, but people just told him "all in good time, Connor". He'd managed to persuade Abby to go home for the night. She looked exhausted, and he suspected she'd spent a lot of time at the hospital. He thought he could remember her there with him, but he wasn't sure he could rely on his memories at the moment.

The only things he knew for certain were what the doctor told him. He'd been brought into the hospital in a "critical condition", he'd needed emergency surgery and had been unconscious for several days. The last thing he remembered was getting angry with himself because he couldn't fix the anomaly openers. Had Abby managed to fix them, or did Helen appear? Maybe it had been Becker and Sarah that rescued them?

He tried to get to sleep, but his head was too full of questions and thoughts. He remembered being scared, kissing Abby, and falling asleep in her arms … or was that wishful thinking? Whatever it was, it was a nice thought anyway, and he eventually drifted off to sleep with the image of Abby's arms curled around him making him feel calm and safe.

--

A week later, the doctor said Connor was well enough to go home, as long as he took it easy for a while. Abby had joked that the only reason they were allowing him home was because he was boring all the nurses to death. Truth was, Connor had become a bit of a star patient, he'd been the youngest on the ward by several years and the nurses liked having someone their own age around. His smile and big eyes charmed all of them, and Abby was certain he didn't need checking on as often as they were doing. As they left, Connor gave the nurses a huge bunch of flowers that he'd asked Abby to get on her way in, and as a result he got massive hugs and kisses from them. His face was flushed bright red by the time he and Abby got to the car.

Abby had gradually filled Connor in with the details of what had happened. He'd listened as she described how she'd dragged him through the anomaly and gone off on her own to find Danny. He couldn't imagine a tiny girl like Abby carrying him, but nothing about Abby surprised him anymore. He wasn't that surprised to learn that Danny has decided to stay behind, just sad that another member of the team was gone. Then, when he discovered just how ill he had been, his stomach twisted into knots. Abby must have been through hell, he thought. Looking at her now as she fastened her seat belt, she looked beautiful, you would never know what had happened.

Connor didn't speak for several minutes as Abby drove. He was deep in thought, looking out of the window. "Abby" he said at last. "There's somewhere I'd like to go, whilst we're here"

"Oh? Where's that?"

"The anomaly site"

"It's not there, Connor. Becker had it closed, and it disappeared completely a few days later"

"I know. I just need to …."

"Ok, I'll take you there. But we shouldn't hang around too long, it's cold and you're supposed to be resting"

Abby parked up, and Connor got out quickly and set off at a pace. "Wait for me!" Abby called after him, running to catch up. He took her hand and led her through the trees, he seemed to be a man on a mission. Then he stopped, a huge smile spread across his face.

"I think this is it" he said. Abby looked puzzled for a moment. This wasn't where she and Connor had come through, she was sure of it. Connor read her expression "This is where we first met, you were chasing Rex with that boy, and I was with Cutter and Stephen"

Abby smiled "There was a cow stuck up in one of these trees if I remember correctly"

"That day changed my life" Connor said. "Changed all our lives" Abby just nodded. "I knew, even then, that you were someone special"

Abby blushed. She wished she could say the same. Back then, she only really had eyes for Stephen. Connor had been an annoyance. It wasn't that long ago really, but so much had happened, she'd changed, grown up perhaps, changed her priorities and realised just what, and who, was really important to her. "If you'd known back then what you know now, would you have stuck around?"

"Wouldn't change a thing" he said "You?"

"There's a few things I should have done differently maybe, but I guess we learn from our mistakes and it makes us a better person" They both stood, holding hands, staring into the space that had once contained a bright glowing anomaly. "Conn?"

"Abby?"

"Do you remember that first night when we were in the tree?"

"I still have the bruises, course I remember!"

"Your happy place, let's go there!"

"A beach?... you in a bikini?"

"If you like" Abby smiled. "After everything we've been through, we deserve it eh?"

Connor nodded. It sounded perfect. They both just stood in silence, thinking. After a few minutes, Abby readied to leave "Come on, let's go home"

"Not yet" Connor said "There's still one more thing"

Abby was puzzled. She was about to question him when she realised he was pulling her towards him. With a big sigh, his hand slid around her waist and he pressed his body against hers. He leaned towards her, and kissed her on the lips, lightly at first. Abby responded, kissing him back, and then they were locked in a tender embrace which left both feeling breathless and giddy.

"I never said thank you" Connor said. "For looking after me, for getting me back here" Abby had her head buried in Connor's chest as he stroked her hair.

"I couldn't just leave you could I" she said "Things just wouldn't be the same without you"

"Not sure I would have coped as well as you did, I think I would have fallen apart"

Abby had no doubt, he would have done exactly the same as her, and probably would have done it a lot better. She was rapidly realising just how strong a person Connor was behind the bumbling idiot some people thought he was. "You find an inner strength, Connor. Something just takes over and you get on with it. I suppose that's what…." She stopped

"Abby?" Connor said.

"Nothing. We should go, it's cold" Abby tried to move, but Connor was holding her tightly.

"What were you going to say?" Connor had an idea what she was going to say, but he needed to hear it. He needed her to finally admit it out it loud even though he already knew deep down. "What is it that took over and got you through?"

Abby felt beaten into a corner. It was a word she had always struggled to say because she'd never really experienced it in the true sense of the word. Until now. With a deep breath, she finally said what she should have said a long time ago "It was love Connor. It was realising that I couldn't go on without you, it was being in love with you that kept me going" He wrapped his arms tightly around her, protective, loving. He gently kissed the top of her forehead, before taking her hand and leading her back towards the car.

The drive home was silent, Connor had closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Abby glanced at him, he looked so peaceful, happy. This holiday to the beach would be the start of a new chapter for both of them. They'd grown so close over the last few months, but both denying they way they felt. Now it was all out in the open and she felt a sense of relief. She'd decided not to tell him what she knew about his parents and Alice, for the moment anyway. She knew at some point, she would have to confess, and opening that can of worms would also mean she'd have to talk about her past. If she was going to share the rest of her life with Connor, she would have to share everything, even the painful stuff.

He was still sleeping as she pulled into the parking space outside the flat. It was almost a shame to wake him. He smiled groggily at her as she handed him the door key. "We're home" Abby whispered. She followed Connor up the stairs, waiting for the excited sounds of Sid, Nancy and Rex as they greeted him. They were round his feet like playful puppies. Connor knelt down "hey guys, I missed you!"

"I'm going to put the kettle on, and then we should get you to bed" Abby said. Connor grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"The doctor said I had to take it easy Abby"

"I didn't mean …." Abby was embarrassed, but then she could see Connor was laughing. "There's plenty of time for …. that … when you're back to full health" she said, throwing a tea towel at him "go and get yourself into bed, I'll be up in a minute"

She watched him slowly climb the stairs up to his room, Rex was following him, circling around Connor's head. _Yes_, she thought, _plenty of time._ She followed a few minutes later, hot drinks in her hands. Connor was sat up in bed, Rex on his lap. Without a word, she placed the mugs on the drawers at the side of Connor's bed and sat with her back to him on the edge. She took of her t-shirt and jeans before sliding herself under the duvet and next to Connor. He put his arm around her and kissed her tenderly. "Love you" he whispered

"Love you too" she whispered back


End file.
